The Faculty of Medicine at the National University of Rwanda in collaboration with the Center for Global Health, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Denmark through an existing Memorandum of Understanding, invites applications for a 3-year PhD scholarship.

Tentative research project title: Health effects of context-sensitive training and supervision of frontline health personnel at selected Rwandan health centers by doctors enrolled at the diploma for Family and Community Medicine.

Expected day of commencement is between January 1st and March 1st 2013, and may be subject to change.

The cooperation

The Center for Global Health, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University and the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Rwanda have engaged in a cooperation to conduct a research project on the effects of strengthening the link between medical doctors and the frontline of the Rwandan health system. The two partners are interested in the health of populations from a global perspective in the search of answers to such question as: what are the most important factors that influence and interventions that improve global health? The center focuses on the interaction of societies and health systems, including financing, access and human resource management. The approach is multi-disciplinary involving collaboration with health care researchers, cultural researchers and social scientists. The selected Ph.D student will work together with a Danish Ph.D student, Dr. Michael Schriver, in Rwanda to conduct the project. Both will be enrolled as Ph.D students at Aarhus University, Denmark.

The Study

Please see attached the “Preliminary Project Description”. The project has been supported with a grant based on this preliminary design.

Qualifications

• Speaks and writes Kinyarwanda and English

• Medical Doctor with a master in family medicine

• Publications in peer-reviewed journals is an advantage but not a requirement.

• Experiences from research in a low- or middle-income country is an advantage but not a requirement.

It is a pre-requisite that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Department of Public Health, Aarhus University in accordance with corresponding regulations regarding attainment of a PhD degree. Job description The two collaborating Ph.D students are expected to take roles as principal investigators of the study, enabling its sustainable, reasonable and ethical conduction.

The applicant is expected to perform the following tasks, in cooperation with the Danish counterpart:

• Selecting research sites

• Drafting of research protocol

• Submitting the protocol and applying for Ph.D enrollment at Aarhus University

• Pursuing local authorization of the project, including applying for utility of community health data, ethics committee approval etc.

• Conducting field work in Rwanda, expected to include:

o Assessing existing community data from selected sites

o Planning and conducting participatory community health analyses at selected communities to asses perceived and observed needs

o Design, plan and guide the implementation ofa training and supervision intervention

• Analyzing data and drafting scientific publications

• Attending Ph.D directed courses and conferences

• Teaching and dissemination of research findings

Additionally, some activities may begin prior to the commencement of the Ph.D scholarship, in which the applicant and the Danish counterpart are expected to take lead roles, such as: • Developing a local scientific and institutional network to advice the project. This may include preparation and conduct of relevant meetings, workshops etc.

• Presenting the project at international conferences. The applicant will attain position as a faculty member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, National University of Rwanda. Employment conditions

Aarhus University encourages all qualified and interested candidates to apply for the position. The position offered is that of an independent Ph.D. The position is offered for a period of three years. The applicant will be employed and contracted at the National University of Rwanda under an agreement with both Aarhus University and the National University of Rwanda. The salary will correspond to that of a specialist medical doctor in Rwanda, estimated around 11500 DKR (1,950USD) gross per month including pension. Application

The application should include:

• Cover letter detailing motivation and background for applying.

• The applicant´s project considerations. This may include comments and suggestions to the preliminary project description, methodological considerations etc.

• CV, including a list of scientific publications (if any).

• Diploma and transcripts of records

Applications including all appendixes must be in English, and should be send to: kallestrup@dadlnet.dkandmiller.michael.v@gmail.com. The closing date for applications is October 10, 2012, 23.59 PM By the end of October 2012 applicants will have received information regarding the evaluation of their application. Applicants are expected to be available for meetings November 26-27th 2012.

For further information about the PhD scholarship and the application process, please contact Dr. Per Kallestrup, Associate Professor: kallestrup@dadlnet.dk. Also visit the ph.d. information site at Aarhus University: http://talent.au.dk/phd/.

About Aarhus University

Aarhus University is a modern European university with more than 40,000 students and 11,000 employees. The university is dedicated to four strategic core activities: research, talent development, knowledge exchange, and education in all fields – from the humanities to business and social sciences, and from science and technology to medicine. Aarhus University – with an annual budget of over USD 1 billion - is currently undergoing major reforms aimed at strengthening the university’s efforts to help society address the grand challenges of our time. In recent years, Aarhus University has been advancing in the most important international rankings. Arhus University has produced two Nobel Prize Laureates in the past fifteen years and is currently ranked in the worldwide top 100 by leading university rankings.